


Reunion

by hangstzo



Category: Overwatch (Video Game)
Genre: Angsty Reaper, Blind Jack, Brotherly Jesse McCree, Fareeha is a Blessing, Gabe needs a hug, Gen, Genji is Determined, Genji is a lil shit, Hana is also a Lil Shit, Hanzo is tired, I LOVE SOMBRA, I! LOVE! GÉRARD!, Implied/Referenced Alcohol Abuse/Alcoholism, Light Angst, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, Overwatch Family, Overwatch is Full of Idiots, Post-Recall, Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder - PTSD, Protective Jesse McCree, Reunions, Sombra is a wonderful person, Sombra needs to stop talking tbh, Tracer needs to Calm Down, Unhealthy Coping Mechanisms, Winston is Not Good at his Job, Zenyatta is a Blessing, how do card games work, implied r76, implied spiderbyte, jesse just has a bit of a problem with alcohol okay, listen yeah i just want some nice cute OW reunions, moira is here guys and she gives No Shits, not really but i just love her a lot, well mostly blind
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-07-24
Updated: 2017-12-03
Packaged: 2018-12-06 12:21:13
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 6
Words: 13,626
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11600532
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/hangstzo/pseuds/hangstzo
Summary: When Winston triggered the recall, it was only going to be a matter of time before old friends reunited. Shenanigans and occasional angst follow.





	1. One

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> McCree just can't beat Hanzo at cards. Luckily, a certain Egyptian girl returns just in time to save him from further embarrassing himself.

Jesse could have sworn he was good at cards. Back in Deadlock he used to win big, only to lose it immediately after, or be mugged in his sleep. In Blackwatch they rarely gambled for money. Usually they played for swapping chores or good Swiss chocolate that someone-most likely Genji-had stolen from Angela. He was sure he had beaten Genji several times before at cards. 

Hanzo however, was another story. 

“C’mon darlin’! Don’t ya ever let anybody else win?” Jesse dropped his cards on the table, arms crossed in a dramatic strop. Behind him, Hana started giggling and leaned over to Lucio, whispering something that sounded a lot like “lovers’ spat!”

Hanzo remained cool, god wasn’t he always, and looked at him from over his cards. “I do not think that letting people win is an appropriate tactic for card games.”

“By the Iris, Hanzo,” Genji sighed from beside them, putting his own cards down on the table. “You used to let me win at everything when we were younger!”

“That was because you used to cry for hours when I beat-”

Before there could be another Shimada brothers fight, Athena’s voice came over the intercom. “Attention all agents. An unknown person has entered the perimeter of the base.”

That had everyone on their feet. It was Lena who asked the question they were all thinking. “Friendly or… not?”

“Unknown at the moment, Agent Oxton. Winston has not sent out any new invitations for a while.” There was a pause as everyone thought about what to do, before Athena continued. “They are approaching the door.”

Practically all of the agents ran for the windows, except Torbjörn, who muttered something about finishing his lunch. It reminded Jesse of the time it snowed when he was fifteen and practically all of the younger Deadlock members legged it outside to watch it. 

**(They’d all been punished afterwards, but he had never seen snow before)**

Jesse was a famously slow mover and much to his annoyance, he found himself at the back of the group watching out of the tinted windows. Mentally, he thanked whoever the hell his pa was for his height as he looked over Hana’s shoulders. Whoever it was outside was wearing a hoodie and carting a large, completely stuffed, gym bag. Their face wasn’t visible. 

“If they’ve got a bag, they must be a recruit, right?” Hana hissed to no one in particular. She was practically pressed right up against the window, probably making herself visible to whoever it was outside. 

“They could be throwing us off,” Hanzo responded, voice equally low, from his spot beside Genji. “A tactic maybe.”

“Why are you whispering?” Reinhardt asked, loud as ever. He looked confused as the rest of the group shushed him and his shoulders slumped ever so slightly. “They probably cannot even hear us!” There was another round of shushing as the figure approached the door, pressing the buzzer. It seemed as if all of Overwatch didn’t even breathe for a few seconds, desperately trying to hear the name. Unfortunately, the soundproof windows remained pretty good at their job. Instead they watched as Athena buzzed the person in. 

“Athena!” Lucio looked around at his equally wide-eyed team mates as he addressed the AI. “Athena who is it?”

“Hello? Helloooo? Anyone home?”

Jesse froze. He knew that voice. Hell, he’d know that voice anywhere. With a choked laugh, he ran out of the room, leaving the rest of Overwatch confused in his wake, and dashed down the stairs as fast as he could. He could hear the rest of them following as he half-jumped, half-fell down the many flights of stairs in his haste to get to her, yelling, “Reeha!”

When he finally got to the ground floor, Jesse stared at the girl standing in front of him. She looked just as shocked as he felt. It had been more than a year since they had last met face to face. Fareeha had grown several inches, still not his height though he was pleased to note, and at some point had had an _udjat_ tattooed under her eye.

**(God, she looked just like her mother)**

She smiled and dropped her bag to the ground, wincing slightly as it hit the ground with a loud metallic clang. “Hey cowboy,” she said, holding her arms open for a hug. 

Jesse didn’t hesitate. He wrapped his arms around her, almost lifting her up. “Welcome home _muñeca_.” They both started laughing, almost crying, completely ignoring the fact that everyone else was watching them. 

Fareeha buried her head in Jesse’s shoulder, just like she did as a kid, shoulders shaking as she laughed. He smiled and stroked her hair, falling back into the action as if she had never left. “I meant to call you Jesse, really I did, but I thought I’d try and surprise you, but I didn’t know if you’d be here but you _are_ , oh my God!” 

Behind them, Genji sighed. “Why didn’t you greet me like this, brother? Hah, you can’t elbow me like that anymore, I don’t feel it.”

“Be quiet Genji.”

Fareeha put her hands on Jesse’s face, grinning ear to ear. “I can’t believe you’re here! I thought it was going to be like just Winston and Athena.”

“No, no Reeha the whole gang’s here!” Jesse beamed at her, tucking a strand of hair behind her ear. “Even Rein is here somewhere.”

Fareeha gasped and pulled away. “Where is he? I haven’t seen him for-Reinhardt!” Spotting the Crusader, she ran to him, still laughing. She practically jumped into his arms and Reinhardt spun her around as if she was a little girl again, stroking her hair. 

“Oh, my _vögelchen_ ,” he cried, hugging Fareeha tightly. “You’ve grown so much! Almost as tall as Jesse now.”

Jesse rolled his eyes, but couldn’t stop himself from smiling. “No she ain’t. Reeha darlin’, don’t grow no more, ya hear me?” 

**(She was already taller than her mother ever had been)**

Fareeha winked at him and kissed Reinhardt’s cheek as he lowered her back to the ground. “I’ll do my best, cowboy. Aren’t you going to introduce me to everyone?”

The rest of Overwatch welcomed the girl with open arms, especially Lena who hugged her tightly, chattering away. “Captain Amari was a huge inspiration of mine! I’m looking forward to working with you!”

Fareeha smiled back, but Lena didn’t seem to notice the way her face fell when her mother was mentioned. Jesse squeezed her arm slightly, leading her away. “So how did you even hear about all this?” He asked her, watching as Genji lightly tapped Lena’s arm in an attempt to tell her off. “Did Winston finally contact you?”

“No?” Fareeha tilted her head at him, looking confused. “No, I never heard from him. It was uh, Angie actually told me.” She ducked her head but failed to hide her reddening cheeks. 

Jesse gasped with all the joy of a brother given reason to tease their younger sibling. “Oh? Angie told ya? How’s she doin’ then, have you been talkin’ to her?”

“Jesse… please don’t start.”

“When’s the good doctor comin’ to join our merry band of outlaws, eh _muñeca_?” He started nudging her, revelling in this new information. 

Fareeha buried her face in her hands, now totally red. “I can break your arm Jesse, again. Or I can turn around and leave.”

“Ah, lets not go makin’ any hasty decisions.” Jesse put his arm around her waist, grinning at her. “I missed ya, sis. Playing jokes on Winston jus’ ain’t the same without my favourite partner.”

Fareeha smiled, leaning against him. “Missed you too brother.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> TRANSLATIONS  
> muñeca- Spanish, 'doll'  
> vögelchen- German, 'little bird'
> 
> Please, I just love sibling Jesse and Fareeha SO MUCH. Annoying big brother Jesse brings me a lot of joy. Look out for maybe another Amari returning in the next chapter!


	2. Two

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Jack Morrison is a stubborn mule, but the prospect of good food appeals to him. Also, McCree remains awful at cards.

It had taken Ana almost a year to even come close to convincing Jack to investigate the recent activity at the Gibraltar base. The stubborn idiot staunchly refused every time she brought it up. “Winston’s been living there for years Ana, it’s nothing.”

**(It wasn’t nothing and they both knew it)**

It all became a little harder to ignore when Ana started to notice little things in the news. Reports of a foiled Deadlock heist showed grainy camera footage of someone in a battered Stetson. Witnesses to a terror attempt in Kings Row all claimed to see streaks of blue around the bomb, moving impossibly fast. The Shimada clan, just beginning to rise from the ashes, was shut down by flashes of green and blue in the early hours of morning. Ana couldn’t help herself from looking into the Gibraltar base again. According to what she could find in her personal favourite, and usually oddly accurate, website of conspiracy theories, the number of unknown people spotted inside and outside the Watchpoint had grown practically overnight. 

“Jack, I think Overwatch is back.” She decided to get back into the subject again over dinner, with all the subtlety of a boot to the face. They were sitting on the floor of the catacombs in Necropolis, eating terrible rations of rice and beans. Neither of them had ever been particularly good cooks, that had always been Gabriel. He used to do huge borderline banquets when he had the free time. 

**(Ana had learned early on not to mention Gabriel to Jack, especially now that they knew what had become of him)**

Jack sighed, stabbing a fork into his bowl. “And you’re bringing this up because?” He reached for his bottle of water, cursing as he knocked it down in his search for it. He didn’t wear the mask when they ate as he hadn’t worked out how to separate the actual visor which helped him see from the mask. It was the only time Ana ever saw his face. He still looked just like the man she remembered, even with the large scar stretching from forehead to chin. Those ridiculously blue eyes were faded now, cloudy as a result of the explosion.

Ana picked up the bottle and handed it to him before going back to her own food. “I just... it wouldn’t hurt to go back. More protection, funds?” She knew their little cache of money was getting low, especially because this awful dinner was all they could afford. “Probably better food too.”

“If they’re all vigilantes, I doubt the food is much better than this.” Jack sat back, rolling his bottle between his hands. He was considering it, Ana could tell. Whenever he was thinking about anything, be it what to wear or how to coordinate an attack, his head would tilt and his finger would tap against whatever he was holding, as if he was counting his options. Eventually, he shook his head. “We’ll talk about it in the morning. Get some sleep, I’ll take first watch.”

This was more progress than Ana had gotten in weeks. Who knew all she had to do was mention food? She stood and squeezed his shoulder. “Alright, _jundiin_. How are you for the pain?”

At first Jack had attempted to keep his chronic pain a secret from her, but Ana was very good at figuring things out. She started to notice how his hands would tighten around his rifle, the soft whines while he pretended to sleep and most glaringly of all, the bottles of alcohol in his pack. Jack couldn't get drunk after whatever SEP had pumped into his blood but she remembered Gabriel saying that it would still help with pain if enough was taken. 

**(She had assumed it was phantom pain. Losing both his legs must have been awful)**

Jack grunted in response. “Could use a little dose.” Stubborn as a mule, he hated admitting he was in any kind of trouble. That was why it had taken Ana so long to realise his pain wasn’t psychological. Ever since the Swiss base explosion, his SEP-addled cells believed he was still burning, burning alive. It must be horrific. She just nodded, having learnt not to pry into it, and prepped a needle. Jack slipped his mask back on, tapping at the settings until he seemed satisfied, then rolled up his sleeve for her. As soon as Ana injected the nanobots into his system he relaxed, the tension fading from his shoulders. “If we do it,” he muttered, “I don't want to be _the_ Jack Morrison. I won't be their commander.”

Ana smiled sadly and pulled him into a hug. “Okay, Soldier 76. We'll talk in the morning.”

\--- 

“Um, we have two new recruits joining us today.”

Winston was still obviously not used to his role as commander. Jesse rolled his eyes, deciding to continue not paying attention, until Fareeha nudged him. "Listen to the commander, cowboy," she teased, knowing full well that he had never listened to his commanding officer in his life. He saluted her, grinning, and went back to his breakfast. 

The gorilla was still talking. “They go by... Soldier 76 and Shrike. They should be arriving at around twelve-”

“Twelve _noon_ , you say?” Hana piped up, leaning back in her seat to stare at Jesse, eyes wide in mischief as Lucio snickered from beside her. The two of them reminded Jesse of himself and Fareeha when they were younger. He winked at them, causing more muffled giggles. Jesse liked them, even if Hana insisted on beating him in any video game he had thought he was good at and if Lucio constantly talked about music techniques that he didn't quite understand. 

From beside him, Fareeha groaned. “That Shrike disrupts so many Helix operations…”

Angela, who was sitting on the other side of Fareeha, patted her shoulder and Jesse was delighted to see his sister blushing again. “I’m sure you'll tell them off,” she told her, sounding amused. “I don't much like that 76 person, he stole plans for my technology and Jack’s old rifle.” She frowned and went quiet again, thinking. 

“Penny for yer thoughts Angie.” Jesse got up, ruffling both the girls’ hair, causing cries of annoyance, and set off to find Genji. They had a bet to settle over Fareeha and Angela. 

**(Jesse had bet that it would take four months at the most for them to get together. Genji reckoned they were already dating)**

The two new recruits arrived closer to one o’clock, much to Hana's disappointment. Jesse was attempting another game of cards with Hanzo, losing once again, when Athena announced their arrival. He saw them out of the corner of his eye. A tall grey haired man in a visor and a much smaller person whose face was obscured by a huge mask and headscarf. He barely paid attention as Winston began talking to the pair, concentrating fully on trying to beat the archer. “Show us yer cards then Shimada.”

A rare smirk on his face, Hanzo laid his cards down. “Full house.”

“How the fuck do ya do it?” Jesse sat back, glaring at his opponent. He suddenly realised the atmosphere had gone suspiciously quiet and turned around to see what was going on. Winston and a few of the other agents were staring at the Shrike, who seemed to have removed their mask but from Jesse's angle he couldn't see who they were. Whoever it was must have been famous or something, like Lucio and D.Va. He was about to speak up when Fareeha walked in, laughing at something Angela, who was walking beside her, had said. She was carrying a box of Swiss chocolates. 

**(Jesse needed to update Genji on this development)**

The Shrike person made a small noise of shock, drawing the attention of everyone in the room, including Fareeha. Jesse watched as his sister dropped the box with a gasp, staring at the new arrivals. It seemed like several seconds went by before she managed to find her voice and when she did, it was small and hopeful. “Mum?”

“ _Habibti_ …” The Shrike looked to the man standing beside her, who just nodded and began talking to Winston, who still looked surprised, as Fareeha walked towards them. The Shrike covered her mouth. “You’re so tall.”

Jesse watched as Fareeha laughed. “Oh, mum!” The women collided in a hug, talking rapidly in emotional Arabic. Whispering began among the gathered agents, making the connection between Fareeha and her supposedly long-dead mother, Captain Ana Amari. Lena looked almost beside herself. 

From across the table, Hanzo frowned at him. “You refer to Miss Amari as your sister, do you not?”

He must have noticed the confusion on Jesse’'s face. He didn't know how to feel. Ana had let everyone believe she was dead for years. She had done that to her own daughter, who Jesse adored. He had dealt with the fallout from her death, he had been on the phone to Fareeha every night to try and help her get through the search for a survivor, then a body, and then arranging the funeral. Jesse cleared his throat. “Y-yeah. I do. An’ Captain Amari was as good as my mama in Overwatch.” He sighed, slumping down slightly. “But she hurt Fareeha so much, when she died. She was a mess for so long. I don't know, maybe I'm still kinda annoyed over that.”

Hanzo was quiet for a while and Jesse began to panic. Why was he confiding in someone who literally almost killed their brother? Before he could escape this potentially awkward moment, the archer began to speak. “If my mother was still alive, and I know for a fact that she is not, I do not think I would hesitate to greet her, despite the pain that her death caused for Genji and I.”

“Shit, Hanzo, I’m sorry.” Jesse fidgeted with his cards, trying to process what he had just heard. As much as he hated to admit it, the man had a point. He had missed Ana, she scared him to death but she was the closest thing to a mother he had had since he was thirteen.

**(His own mama was dead. She had been gone for nearly twenty years by the time he found out by stumbling upon her grave near the Deadlock base)**

“Fuck it.” He got up and half smiled at Hanzo, muttering a thanks, before walking over to Ana and Fareeha, who were now talking quietly to each other. It looked like Ana was apologising repeatedly, as she should be, while Fareeha just shook her head, smiling ear to ear. Maybe he shouldn’t interrupt them. He didn’t know much Arabic after all, he should probably leave them to it and let them catch up.

Before Jesse could change his mind completely, Ana noticed him. There was an patch over her right eye and her hair was significantly whiter than he remembered, but it still was the same woman who scared the hell out of him yet was always there for him with mugs of strong tea and a calm voice after a bad day. She smiled at him, shifting away from her daughter slightly. “Hello _abn._ Thank you for taking care of my Fareeha.”

“Howdy ma’am. It was my honour.” With that, Jesse allowed himself to be pulled into Ana’s arms and all was right with the world.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> TRANSLATIONS  
> Jundiin- Arabic, 'soldier'  
> Habibti- Arabic, 'my love'  
> Abn- Arabic, 'son'
> 
> Fun fact, in the Swiss base explosion Jack lost both his legs, suffers phantom pain because of it, is now blind in his left eye and mostly blind in the other, and all his cells are fucked up bc SEP didn't think about the long term effects of their experiments (this is also what happened to Gabriel, but Jack got help a lot faster than he did which is why he's not like Reaper) There's absolutely nothing in canon that supports this, except maybe the egg Jack skin if that even is canon, but idk man who can survive an _explosion_ and come away relatively unscathed.


	3. Three

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> No one has any idea who Soldier 76 really is and, if the betting pool is anything to go by, no one has come close to finding out. Enter Lena Oxton, accidental detective and part time ghost enthusiast.

Lena had always believed in ghosts. Her grandmother used to claim her house was haunted by a woman named Betsy who didn't like people running up stairs. In hindsight, this was probably because she and all her cousins used to race up the stairs and Nana Oxton had never liked it. Despite that, Lena swore she'd seen Betsy one night out of the corner of her eye before she went to bed. Her cousins thought she was being ridiculous but they complained of weird noises at night. They were never entirely sure if their grandmother was telling the truth or not and of course, the truth died with her. 

**(Lena liked to imagine Nana Oxton sipping ghost tea with Betsy, complaining about new people still running up the rickety stairs)**

After her accident in the Slipstream, Lena became a ghost herself. She drifted for months, desperately trying to get someone’s attention, never able to stay in one place or time. People walked right past her, sometimes even through her, not noticing her. By the time Overwatch managed to track her down and rescue her, Lena had resigned herself to being a ghost for the rest of her life. They did so many tests on her and she was seen by so many doctors and scientists, all while flitting in and out of reality in a room that looked too much like a prison cell for her liking. She still had nightmares about that time in her life. It was something she wouldn't wish on even her worst enemy, no matter how much she hated that Widowmaker woman. 

Lena had been the first to answer Winston’s recall. The two of them had gone on a few missions in the weeks before their next member, Jesse McCree, joined up. It was on the mission to the Overwatch museum that she saw a real ghost. Reports of the Reaper had not been exaggerated. It-he?-moved in a cloud of black smoke, able to change from a vaguely human figure into smoke at the drop of a hat, making it very hard for either of them to land a hit. It unnerved her, she wasn’t going to lie, that the Reaper used the same shotguns as Gabriel Reyes. Lena had only met Reyes briefly a few times when she was still suffering from chronal disassociation. She liked him, he seemed genuinely concerned for her unlike everyone else who treated her like some sort of experiment or a guinea pig.

**(He had given her a bag of sweets when she was allowed back into the field)**

With Overwatch now back in operation, Lena was having the time of her life. She hadn't realised how much she had missed Jesse and Genji's antics until they started up again. With Winston holed up in his room for most of the time, she spent her days with the new recruits. She liked Zenyatta the most. They meditated together sometimes, allowing her to be more still than she had been for years. But there was one recruit who remained a mystery. 

Soldier 76 arrived with Ana Amari- _Amari!_ -and as far as Lena could tell he never took off his visor. There was another infamous Overwatch betting pool on why he wore the thing. She had put a tenner on him being blind. Genji bet twice as much on him hiding his identity. Jesse bet 43.67 credits and four bullets on the visor helping his aim after seeing the man eliminate three bots in as many seconds in a simulator. 

**(Lena was pretty sure all of them were right in some way)**

There was something familiar about 76. It was in the way he carried himself, he walked like a man of authority. In missions he seemed to take over and ordered them all into position, telling them to use their abilities to the most tactical advantage. It drove Jesse mad but they all had to admit that the soldier’s commands always worked out the best. He knew more about them and their weapons than any of them were comfortable with. The man barely talked to anyone except Ana and occasionally Winston. 

Lena was quite happy to leave him to his mysterious ways until one day after a particularly rough mission, 76 walked past her as Angela bandaged up her arm and said, ‘Nice work out there, rookie.” She spun around, ignoring the medic's scolding, but the man was gone. No one had called her rookie for years, not since Commander Morrison had died. 

After that, Lena took on the mission to work out just who Soldier 76 really was. She observed him during training and on the field, noticing more quirks about the way he handled his weapon. His gun was a pulse rifle he had stolen from an old Watchpoint, it was supposed to be Morrison's. That detail had upset a number of the former Overwatch agents, particularly Angela who quite clearly didn't trust the soldier. He never let her help him with his injuries, preferring to go to Ana. It obviously bothered her. 

One day, and it was a total accident, Lena came across 76 and Ana in an empty room. The sniper had a number of her healing darts laid out on a desk and was preparing the needle on one of them. 76 was sitting opposite, his sleeve rolled up to his shoulder. He was gripping the chair in front of him so tightly his knuckles were white and he looked obviously in pain. Most interesting of all, his visor lay in his lap but annoyingly he was looking down, meaning she could barely make out his face. 

Ana sighed as she placed the needle against the soldier's shoulder. Lena bit her lip and moved back behind the door, needles freaked her out, when she heard the sniper begin to talk. “You know Jack, if you just let Angela look at you, I'm sure she could help fix the pain.”

**(Bloody hell)**

“I’m not letting her near me with that tech,” came the gruff answer. His voice was tight and pained. “The Caduceus will know my DNA immediately.”

“You can't live like this and you know it, _jundiin_.”

Lena risked a peek around the door, barely daring to breathe with excitement. To her absolute delight, 76's face was clear. Even though it was now marred with scars and those eyes were paler than she remembered, it was her commander. Jack Morrison, back from the dead. A real ghost. _Bloody hell_. She'd been to his funeral. As quietly as she could, she ran away from the room, heading to the mess hall where she knew everyone was. 

**(She had a bet to win)**

Lena skidded to a halt inside the hall, startling Hana as she walked past the door. Apologising profusely, she looked around for Jesse before darting off to his table. “I have a new bet!” she announced, slumping into a seat beside him. 

Jesse smirked, looking up from his cards. It looked like he was practicing for another doomed game against Hanzo. “Hey darlin’. On Angie and Fareeha or the mystery man?”

She grinned at him, bouncing in her seat in excitement. “I bet ten credits _plus_ my RAF jacket on the reason Soldier 76 wears a mask is to hide his true identity-”

“Gen’s got that one already.”

“-Because he's really Jack Morrison!” Lena burst out, giggling. As soon as she said it, it occurred to her that perhaps it hadn't been the best thing to blurt out in the middle of a mess hall full of Overwatch agents old and new. She saw Reinhardt's head turn to look at her as Lúcio stopped his music in shock. 

**(This may have been a bad idea)**

Jesse stared at her, mouth slightly open in surprise, before letting out a long, low whistle. “Shit _amiga_. How’d ya figure that out?”

“I um, may have accidentally seen him?” Lena’s words all came out in a rush and before long she had explained everything she knew to the cowboy, who was looking more confused by the minute. She shifted uncomfortably in her seat, waiting for him to answer, before sighing. “He doesn’t know I saw him.”

Jesse sat up, laying his hands flat on the table. “Darlin’, I barely got a word ya said there. Yer accent is somethin’ awful.”

“For the record, I knew he was Jack.” Fareeha sat in the chair opposite them, grinning at Jesse. “No one knows that much about Overwatch tactics and weapons.”

The cowboy pointed at her, frowning. “Fuck off, yer bet was he wore the visor to hide bad plastic surgery.”

While Lena and Fareeha giggled, Angela came over and collapsed beside Fareeha. Her hair was up in a very messy bun, not the purposeful kind, and the bags under her eyes were more pronounced than ever. She looked exhausted. “Of course 76 is Morrison,” she sighed, resting her head on her hands. “That pulse rifle is like an extension of his arm. And he refuses any kind of help from me.”

Jesse rounded on her. “Angie, _you_ … didn’t actually make a bet.”

Angela rolled her eyes and yawned. “I don’t do bets.”

“But what are we gonna _do_?” Lena decided to bring all their attention back to the more important matter at hand. “Soldier 76 is Commander Morrison!”

“Well, I guess that secret’s out.”

Silence fell across the hall as every head turned towards the door, where Soldier 76 stood, visor no where to be found but his expression was still unreadable. Behind him stood Ana, who was looking directly at Lena, sending a ripple of fear through her chest. Everyone was quiet for a few more seconds before Reinhardt suddenly burst into laughter. “My friend!” He cried, rushing towards the other man, pulling him into a tight hug. 76- _Morrison_ -seemed to protest, if the flailing arms were anything to go by, before surrendering.

From beside her, Jesse chucked. “Jus’ like old times.”

Lena smiled to herself, sinking down in her seat. “Yeah,” she said, looking over at the huddle of people now surrounding Jack. “Just like old times.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> TRANSLATIONS  
> jundiin- Arabic, 'soldier'  
> amiga- Spanish, 'friend'
> 
> Let it be known that I love my daughter Lena with all my heart. The poor girl just doesn't know when secrets should stay that way. Also, Overwatch put bets on every single possible thing, including but not limited to:  
> -Why Jack wears the mask  
> -When Angela and Fareeha will get together  
> -Eventually when Jesse and Hanzo will get together  
> -If Jesse will ever win a card game against Hanzo (Jesse has bet all he has on him winning)  
> -How many times Genji can ask for healing before Angela/Ana/Zen/Lúcio kills him  
> -I mean there was probably one in the old days for whether or not Jack and Gabe were together (spoiler, they were married)
> 
> It might be a while until the next chapter but when it does arrive be prepared for my favourite thing: supersoldier angst


	4. Four

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Overwatch miscalculated how active a Talon lab was and now Jack has to face the Reaper again. He also has to endure the added fun of fighting with a hacked visor.

“Reaper’s here!”

Genji’s yell came from somewhere out of the team’s view. Someone had hacked all their comms and the entire team had to resort to shouting to each other across the field. They were raiding a lab known to have connections with Talon, but they hadn’t expected it to be a _very_ active base. The plan had been to sneak in, get some information and maybe take a scientist or two for interrogation. As soon as agents began shooting at them that plan changed to getting the fuck out as soon as possible.

With the addition of the Reaper, Overwatch’s plan now became _survive_ and get the fuck out as soon as possible.

Jack’s plan however, remained the same. Find out what the hell happened to Gabriel to turn him into Reaper and try to help him.

From where he was, he couldn’t see Reaper but he could hear his team shouting to each other. Ana was in a perch somewhere, shooting down anyone who dared come near them. Mentally, Jackdecided to put her and Fareeha in more missions together, the former’s maternal instincts came out in full force as she was determined to keep attackers away from her daughter. The younger Amari seemed to be vaguely irritated by this, if the loud Arabic was anything to go by, but there was a little part of him that was intensely proud to see Fareeha out in the field, taking command of the team.

“McCree?” Jack turned to the cowboy beside him, sending a round into a poor Talon agent trying to sneak up behind them, and pointed towards where most of the yelling seemed to be concentrated. “I’m going after the Reaper, cover me.”

“Sure thing.” Jesse nodded, keeping a watchful eye on their surroundings as Jack ran through the corridors, his visor showing up any enemies that had made it past the the team. Unfortunately for them, they soon met their end by a well timed shot of his pulse rifle or Jesse’s revolver.

Stealth had never been his strong suit. There had been one mission, when Overwatch had barely been more than a strike team, where he walked into a metal bucket and alerted almost an entire omnium to their position. Gabriel had chewed him out for hours afterwards while Ana and Reinhardt tried to smother their laughter behind him and Torbjörn muttered about how immature they all were.

**(He missed the days of the strike team, before the rift between him and Gabriel ruptured)**

**( _Don’t think about Gabriel_ )**

As he ran through the laboratory towards the large store room at the back, Jack saw that Genji and Hana had teamed up to mow down the poor unsuspecting Talon agents who were still pouring out of one particular door, seemingly unaware of the ninja and MEKA just outside of it. To aid their confusion, the two were shouting at each other in rapid Korean. The moment that Hana had realised both Shimadas spoke her language almost fluently had been one of the sweetest things Jack had ever seen. The girl was clearly homesick and it looked as if she was about to cry when Hanzo and Genji had spoken to her in perfect Korean one morning at breakfast. It didn’t take long for the three of them to be found huddled in the corner of the mess hall, gossiping about the others in a language no one else understood.

Jack was distracted. That had been another thing Gabriel would lecture him on back in the strike team days, he once ran off to rescue a dog. He hadn’t learned since then. No matter how many military officers had tried to drill it into him that he had to work on focusing on the mission, he still found his mind wandering. SEP had managed to heighten his sense of hearing and going blind seemed to have made it even better so not hearing someone sneaking up on him had never been much of a problem.

Until now.

“Hola, _soldado_. Don’t mind me.”

Before Jack could even react to what was happening and who was behind him, there was a rapid beeping noise as his visor powered down, taking his sight with him. Muttering curses, he spun around, trying to find his attacker with the limited vision he had in his right eye. Without the visor, his depth perception was way off and he blindly lashed out, only to meet nothing and almost fall forwards. There was a laugh from his left, his blind side dammit, and he turned again, catching a flash of purple as he moved. 

Then the girl was right up in his face. Jack could make her out properly now, but more importantly he could push her down using his gun. But as soon as he attempted the attack, the girl moved again, still laughing. “Ay, _soldado_ ,” she said, "Is the great Jack Morrison blind without the visor? That's a nice piece of information!" How did she know? Before he could even try to work out where she was, she started talking again. “ _Relajarse_ , I'm not going to say to anyone! Yet.”

“Shut. Up.” Jack practically growled, deciding to throw caution to the wind and shot in the general direction of the purple girl's infuriating voice. She kept laughing. Christ was there anything that stopped her from laughing. 

Although she stayed in his literal blind spots, Jack could hear the girl's comm crackle to life. _“Sombra, do you want me to take him out?”_

**(Jack knew of Sombra. He didn't realise her talent extended to hacking his fucking visor)**

“ _Cálmate por favor_ , _mi arándano_.” Sombra told the person on the other end of her comms line, who sounded French as far as Jack could tell. He was trying to work out where the hacker was and what the best way to deal with her was when there was a sudden, excited gasp from his left. “Hola Gabi!”

Before he knew it, Jack found himself on the ground, a hard boot pressing down on his back and his gun just out of reach. He was disoriented and what remained of his vision was full of dark spots. Someone must have hit him in the back of the head. Groaning, he attempted to dislodge whoever was standing on him, only to feel the barrel of a gun pressing into his head and hear a deep, gravelly laugh. “This is how it should have been, Morrison.”

“I’m not dead yet.” Jack pushed himself up, upsetting the Reaper’s balance, and got to his feet, grabbing for his pulse rifle as he did so. Without the visor, he was still totally blind on his left side, where he knew Sombra was standing. Quickly, he swung his gun around with all the force he had, smirking as he felt the impact and heard a surprised shriek and several Spanish swears as the girl fell to the ground. Turning back to Reaper, he could hear Fareeha yelling orders to the team to find his position and lifted his gun to point at the ghost. “What did they do to you Gabriel?”

The Reaper growled. “Reyes is dead _._ ” He raised his shotguns, a sick laugh coming from behind his mask. “You did this to me _Strike Commander_ ,” he sneered, his voice taking on a mocking tone. “What did you think would happen when a building drops on someone? Not like you would know, you wouldn’t know the _pain_ I was in.”

Jack knew exactly the sort of pain Gabriel had been through. He was left with constant reminders every single day of the Swiss base explosion. In the mornings, having to put on his prosthetic legs reminded him of the section of a roof that had collapsed on top of him. The visor he had to wear to fucking _see_ brought back the memories of the shrapnel that had shot into his eyes, leaving him screaming. Most of all, his body still believed that it was lying there in the rubble as the fire crackled around him, slowly creeping into that blue coat he had hated so much and setting it alight. He had learned how to survive while his cells were _screaming_ every day, constantly. He knew about the pain.

**(Ana believed she was helping. But really, her shots did nothing anymore)**

“You could have gotten help anywhere else!” Jack quietly loaded a helix rocket into his gun, still talking in an attempt to distract Reaper from his actions. “But _Talon_? Angela would have helped you, dammit, _I_ would have helped you!”

There was a quiet groan from his left as Sombra attempted to get back up. “Didn’t see that coming… Gabe, my EMP is charged!”

“Get in there then _niña_.” As the girl ran off, seeming to head towards where the rest of the Overwatch team were, Reaper turned back to Jack and huffed a laugh, walking straight up to his face. “I thought you were dead, Morrison. I thought you were _dead_.” Something in his voice changed in the second sentence, almost as if it cracked and lost the usual rasping quality it had. He sounded almost distressed. “It _hurts_ , goldie. What could I do?” With a pang of distress, Jack realised his voice sounded just like Gabriel’s.

**( _Don’t think about Gabriel_ )**

Before Jack could even respond, and how could he respond to that, there was a faint shout in the distance of, “ _¡Apagando las luces!_ ” followed by yelling and heavy footsteps from his team. The Reaper chuckled again and shoved him back hard, returning to his usual rasping voice as the laughing began to get louder, turning into a cackle as black smoke rolled out surrounding him. He extended his arms, holding out the twin shotguns just as the strike team rounded the corner. Jack felt useless, unable to work out if the enemy was even within range of his rockets, all he could do was yell at his team, running in their direction.

Suddenly there was a loud bang and Reaper’s laughter cut off with a loud groan. “Hold up now,” drawled Jesse as he emerged from the corridor, gun in hand, and barrelled into the wraith in his moment of confusion. “I’ve got a bullet with yer name on it if ya don’t cooperate.” He pressed the revolver into the mask, his finger resting on the trigger. It looked like he had been in a nasty fight with somebody, there was blood splattered across his face and arm and his chest armour had disappeared at some point.

Now within the relative safety of his team, Jack took advantage of the lull in the battle to try and fix his visor. He pressed the buttons at it’s side until it finally came back to life with a soft, familiar hum. It still wasn’t back to normal for his left eye, he’d probably need Torbjörn to have a look at it and recalibrate it to restore his sight, but at least he could see what was going on.

**(Note to self: make visor EMP resistant)**

The rest of the team had trained their guns on the Reaper, with the exception of Genji whose lights were flickering on and off, probably thanks to Sombra’s EMP. The hacker was nowhere to be found and neither was whoever she had been talking to on her comm. It looked like Reaper was the only Talon mercenary left. Fareeha was standing on top of a large storage container, rocket launcher aimed and ready. Jack knew that the moment Jesse got into any trouble, she would unleash hell on his attacker. That was the way those two had always been. While not siblings by blood, they had a bond way closer than any other brother and sister Jack had ever seen.

Jesse’s gun was still resting on the forehead of Reaper’s mask. He was laughing again, low and so quiet the rest of the strike team didn’t seem to be able to hear, except Jack. The cowboy looked uncomfortable, shifting on his feet, as the ghost’s laughter died down. “You can’t possibly try to outsmart me,” he said quietly, moving his head up so that he was looking at the other man. “I taught you everything you know, _mijo._ ”

There was a moment of silence as Jesse stared down at the Reaper. “Gabe? No.” He stumbled back from him, eyes wide in shock. His gun stayed steady in his hands, still pointing at the mask, as he shook his head. “ _No_. Not everythin’.” 

The laughter grew louder again as the cowboy fumbled for the trigger. In the moment of hesitation, Reaper quickly picked up his shotgun and, before any of the team even realised what was happening, fired it point-blank into Jesse’s stomach. “You never were a good student,” he snarled, rising and kicking the stunned man to the ground, “Had a high opinion of yourself.” Jesse crumpled to the floor with a groan, blood blossoming from the entry wound in his gut. 

There was a scream from above them and Jack whirled around to see Fareeha rising up off the container. “Get him out of there!” She pointed to Jesse, who was curled in on himself and breathing heavily. Genji and D.Va dashed out towards him before their commander even finished her order. The ninja grabbed the cowboy, pulling him away as gently as possible while Hana threw up her defence matrix, prepared to block any further attacks from the Reaper, who was watching, still laughing. 

**(Which is more important? The man or the mission?)**

Fareeha waited until Jesse had been moved out of the way and was being looked at by Ana before flying directly above the ghost. “You made a tactical error,” she hissed, “Rocket barrage incoming!” Reaper howled as the rockets came towards him, suddenly becoming a cloud of black smoke as he left the area just as Fareeha’s barrage ended. The ghost was gone. It was as if he had never even been there. Their commander dropped down to the ground, pulling off her helmet as she rushed to Jesse’s side. “Hey, hey cowboy? Can you hear me?”

“He’s going into shock _habibi_ , stay back.” Ana held up a hand in front of her daughter and she injected Jesse with her nanobots. The cowboy was moaning, sweat pouring down his face and she sighed. “We’re going to need to move out _now_ , he needs surgery.”

Fareeha was staring at Jesse, her eyes wild and frightened, barely reacting as Genji put his arm around her shoulders. Jack had to take charge of the situation. Clearing his throat, he turned to Genji. “Can you carry McCree back to the jet?” Seeing the cyborg’s nod he looked to Hana. “You go with him and take out any remaining hostiles. Keep your defence up and make sure no one hurts them. Ana, you go with them.”

“Got it!” Inside her mech, Hana saluted him before following behind Genji as he lifted Jesse as carefully as he could, cursing in Japanese softly as the cowboy let out a whimper. They set off at a run, Ana following behind.

Jack reached out to put a hand on Fareeha’s shoulder. The girl was shaking, staring after the group. “Hey.” She looked over at him as soon as he spoke. There were tears in her eyes, tugging at a small part of his heart. “He’ll be fine, we can get to the base in no time. And you were _great_ out there kid.”

“Sorry.” She sniffed, rubbing her eyes. “Sorry, sorry, I’m just… let’s get back to the jet.”

Jack nodded, smiling underneath his mask. “Understood, commander.”

\---

“Jesse, you’re just out of surgery, you can’t possibly think-”

“Hell no Angie! I’ve gotta get to this meeting, I got somethin’ they need to know!”

They were almost finished the debriefing when Jack heard the argument outside. Across from him, Fareeha visibly sank down in her chair in sheer relief at the sound of Jesse’s voice. Interestingly, beside Genji, Hanzo did the same. 

“ _Mein Gott_ Jesse!” Angela’s frustrated yell became even more audible as the cowboy burst through the doors to the meeting room. He was dressed in a hospital gown and didn’t have his prosthetic on, yet he was still wearing that ridiculous Stetson. It was quite obvious that the doctor was right by not wanting him to leave the medical wing-the man was swaying slightly and had to lunge forward and grab onto Lúcio’s chair to stay upright.

Winston frowned at him from the top of the table. “Agent McCree, surely you should still be in medical?”

“Prob’ly should but I gotta tell y’all somethin’.” Jesse stood again, still keeping one shaking hand on the chair. He took a deep breath, then sighed. “The Reaper. He’s uh… he’s Reyes.”

Jack quietly watched as all hell broke loose in the conference room.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> TRANSLATIONS  
> Soldado- Spanish, 'soldier'  
> Relajarse- Spanish, 'relax'  
> Cálmate por favor, mi arándano- Spanish, 'calm down please, my blueberry' (genuinely the funniest line I've ever put into google translate)  
> Niña- Spanish, 'girl'  
> Mijo- Spanish, 'son'  
> Habibi- Arabic, 'baby'
> 
> SOMBRA'S HERE EVERYONE! Oh and isn't she a little shit? I adore my little purple hacker. I tend to main her during Total Mayhem matches purely so I can hack people really quickly, normally I main Pharah or Mercy if a healer is needed.  
> This is the longest chapter yet and I actually really like it but probably because it has Sombra in it. There were a lot of in-game interactions here! Also this is technically two reunions in one-the angsty supersoldier husbands meeting again and then their poor adopted cowboy wandering in. Poor Jesse. He needs a break.  
> I'm not sure when the next reunion will go up ~~because I've slightly ran out of ideas, give me a bit~~ BUT I am working on a biggg Widowmaker redemption arc because boy do I have a thing for brainwashed assassins getting redemption arcs (yeah there may be a Bucky Barnes thing approaching) so yeah. I hope you enjoyed!


	5. Five-Reactions

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A brief interlude of reactions to the last reunion. I know it's been a while but I hope this makes up for it!  
> (tw for some ptsd and unhealthy coping mechanisms)

“I should have known.”

Fareeha’s soft words were drowned out by the chaos in the room caused by McCree’s information. She looked exhausted, nearly frightened but trying to hide it. From his seat opposite her, Jack could see the slight shake of her shoulders as she stared into space, absently playing with her fingers. He knew that expression. It was the one Ana would wear after a disastrous mission, the one where you had approximately five minutes to get her out of battle and into a safe place before she would start to scream. He may have no longer been their commander but he had to do something in this situation, before it got any more out of hand.

Jack could feel all of Overwatch turn to stare at him as he stood, yet Fareeha’s gaze stayed blank. He cleared his throat, effectively silencing the room, and looked to Winston. “This should be a conversation for later. The strike team are exhausted from the mission and we need to take time to work out what our next actions should be.”

**(He could hear a quiet whisper from Genji’s direction, probably directed to his brother. “They were married once you know, Reyes and Morrison.”)**

“Uh, yes!” The gorilla nodded, adjusting his glasses slightly. “Everyone, you’re dismissed. Athena will call you together for the next meeting.” With that, Winston got to his feet and made his way out of the room, Lena following close behind. Jesse was still slightly swaying on his feet, his face pale, tightly gripping onto Lúcio’s chair as the younger man got up and took him gently by the arm, leading him out of the door where Angela was standing, her foot tapping in concern. The two medics led him presumably back to the medbay, flanked by both Shimada brothers. The rest of Overwatch began to disperse until only Jack, Ana and Fareeha remained. The younger Amari was still sitting in her chair, now staring at her hands, while her mother hovered beside her, worried. “I should have known,” the girl repeated, still shaky.

“Oh, _habibi_.” Ana sat beside her daughter, reaching out to put a hand on her shoulder but Fareeha flinched at the touch, her shaking getting more intense. She put her head in her hands, shoulders trembling, a soft whining sound coming from the back of her throat. 

In the Crisis, Jack had seen so many people like this, even before Overwatch was even founded. The ‘thousand yard stare’ wasn’t an unfamiliar look. He could remember having to talk down younger soldiers after battle, doing his best to keep them safe and stable before someone much more helpful than he was came to the rescue. On their first mission in the original strike team, he had been shot in the back by a rogue Bastion unit and spent the rest of the day in surgery and recovery. Years later, Ana told him they had had to physically pin a screaming Reyes down to stop him from bursting into the medbay until he went eerily silent, pushing Reinhardt away and going towards the bunks where he spent the rest of the day in Jack’s bed. When he returned in the morning, Gabriel acted like nothing had happened, only behaving a little more concerned for him than usual. His heart went out to the girl and he walked over, crouching beside her. “Hey soldier,” he said, as gently as he could, “Look at me.”

Fareeha turned in her seat to face him, tears in her eyes. “I should have _known_ , I was his commander.”

Jack frowned. “You were never Reyes’ comman-”

“I should have known he’d do something like that, he likes to play the hero.” Her voice began to shake as she raked her shaking hands through her hair. “He’s _always_ been like this, he just doesn’t know when to stop, he’s so reckless. I should have kept my eye on him, it’s my fault!” Fareeha started to cry, reminding Jack of when she was small where she would curl into a ball against the nearest person. Ana whispered something in Arabic, bringing her daughter into a tight hug. The girl didn’t object this time, sobbing into her mother’s shoulder. “He could have _died_ mum, Jesse-”

“Is fine.” Jack reached up and took Fareeha’s hand, squeezing it. “You got him out, you dealt with the Reaper and kept the team out of any further danger.” He had always had a soft spot for her but it had been Gabriel who had been the closest to her. The man was always amazing with kids whereas Jack was slightly more awkward with them but Fareeha had been relatively easygoing as a child, or at least until Jesse appeared and got her into playing pranks. They were so close, like siblings. He knew she would panic like this if McCree got hurt.

Ana nodded, stroking her daughter’s hair. “Jesse is going to be okay, _habibi_ ,” she murmured, trying to keep the girl as calm as possible. “You did so well today. And that _ahmaq alsabii_ has been through so much worse than this, I’m sure he’ll survive.”

Fareeha whimpered but started to attempt to match her breathing to that of the two older soldiers standing by her. “I’m sorry,” she whispered and looked up from Ana’s shoulder. There were tear tracks down her cheeks that she quickly tried to wipe away, straightening her shoulders and clearing her throat. “Sorry Jack. Are _you_ okay? I know you and Gabriel were…” Her words trailed off as she shook her head slightly, unable to find the words.

**(They were technically still married. Neither men had been able to find the heart to file for divorce before the Swiss explosion)**

“Gabriel’s dead, kid.” Jack kept his voice as gentle as he possibly could, wincing internally as he saw Fareeha’s lower lip tremble and Ana shot him a glare. “Reaper is not him. He’s just another Talon mercenary that we’re going to have to take out, understand? It’s just doing our job.” Those were the words he said to himself constantly, trying his best to separate the man his husband had once been from whatever monster Talon had turned him into. Seeing the girl’s nod, he squeezed her arm and stood again. “I’ve got your back, Commander Amari.”

There was a quiet laugh from the younger Amari and she nodded. “I copy, Soldier 76.”

\---

It wasn’t unusual for Jesse to find himself wandering the base at night. He had done it nearly all his life, trying to keep the nightmares at bay. It was only recently that he had begun doing it with the company of a bottle of whiskey. The Gibraltar base wasn’t one he had been stationed at often before he left Blackwatch but it was now rivalling Canada in the fight for his favourite Watchpoint. The surrounding cliffs were so beautiful, but also the best place to drink in secret. That was how he found himself, still with a medical bracelet around his wrist, sitting against one of the rocks and taking long swigs from the bottle.

**(Angela would murder him if she caught him drinking, then resurrect him and kill him again)**

It was supposed to have been an interrogation mission. Getting information out of people was one of Genji’s strong points and the rest of them had tagged along for back up if needed and to destroy the base afterwards. Winston had selected Fareeha to lead them and Jesse had spent the entire plane ride teasing her about it. “I ain’t never listened to a commander in my life, _muñeca,_ I ain’t startin’ now.” She had laughed, swatting at his head while Ana and Morrison shook their heads from opposite them, and told him, “ _I’m_ the commander this time cowboy, but that sounds good.”

All jokes had faltered when the cloaked jet touched down a little way off the base and Genji was sent in, with Ana following behind to keep her eye on the proceedings. It had been exactly four minutes and twenty two seconds before all hell broke loose and they lost contact with the pair. Hana, always smarter than anyone gave her credit for, recognised the traces of an EMP blast in their monitors. Fareeha instantly gave the order to move in, her face set into an expression Jesse recognised as the one her mother would wear before a mission. They followed her, their commander who was still his little sister, into the base. Jesse couldn’t remember much of what came after that, until he saw the Reaper readying its guns to shoot at his team members.His Fareeha, his Genji, his Ana. Hana, so young and bright and full of life. Morrison, who had become slightly more bearable in old age. His family.

He had thrown down a flashbang before he even realised what he was doing. The Reaper had frozen for a second, dazed, and Jesse took that opportunity to run forward, knocking him to his knees. He was all prepared to knock the wraith out, if it was possible to do so, and take him back to the base for interrogation, when suddenly familiar laughter caught him off guard.

_“I taught you everything you know,_ mijo _.”_

**(Gabriel had practically raised him since he was seventeen. There was no way in hell he wouldn’t recognise that voice)**

Jesse was usually so focused in the field but this threw him. He hesitated and in that moment, he felt the barrel of a shotgun against his unprotected stomach. There had barely been any time to react as the Reaper shot him, the impact of the shotgun shell sending all the breath out of his body as he collapsed. He remembered hearing that laugh again as it was drowned out by screaming and yelling. The last thing he saw before he passed out was Fareeha, her hair untidy after pulling off her helmet and eyes wide in utter terror. He wanted nothing more to tell her he was okay, that Angie would surely be able to patch him back up, as the darkness swallowed him up.

“McCree?”

The voice startled him out of his thoughts and Jesse looked up from his whiskey bottle. Hanzo stood a little way behind him, still dressed in his black training clothes from earlier. He must have been practicing when the meeting was called and hadn’t got around to changing yet. “Howdy Hanzo,” he said, snorting as he noticed the alliteration of his words. “Tha’s fun to say. Howdy Hanzo, howdy Hanzo.”

The Shimada rolled his eyes as he made his way over to him, sighing as he saw the now mostly empty whiskey bottle. “I was going to ask if you were alright, but you appear to have answered that for me.” He sat on the rock and reached down to take the bottle. “Doctor Ziegler will have your head when she discovers you left the medical wing _and_ find you in your current state.”

“Angie ain’t gonna find me, darlin’!” Jesse half heartedly reached for the bottle but was confused to find that it wasn’t where he left it. He fiddled with the bracelet on his wrist. “Don’ ya worry yer pretty lil head honeybee, I’m a master of stealth! No one can ever figure out where the hell I am.”

“Well, I found you, and you aren’t even wearing spurs this time.” Hanzo sounded vaguely amused, something Jesse loved to hear. There were a few beats of silence before he sighed and slipped down against the rock until he was sitting beside him. “Forgive me if I am… overstepping if that is the correct term in English,” he began, “Genji speaks fondly of this Reyes and he mentioned you two were close. I wanted to know if you are okay.”

**(He didn’t mention the fact that he had paced the corridor outside the medical wing while Jesse was in surgery until Genji had to pull him away)**

Jesse frowned, itching for another drink or a smoke but Angela had confiscated his cigars until she cleared him from medical. He probably wasn't getting those back any time soon. He reached up to scratch the back of his head and leaned against the rock. “I told ya Ana was like my mama in Overwatch, yeah?” Seeing the archer's nod, he continued, “Gabe was like my dad. Got me outta some bad shit ‘nd trained me up. Dunno where I’d be if he didn’t." Jesse trailed off, suddenly realising there were tears in his eyes. He was more drunk than he had first thought. Sniffing, he leaned against Hanzo, ignoring the other man's indignant sound. “‘Nd he died. I fuckin’ spoke at his funeral. But now he ain’t dead an’ he's with them Talon _pendejos_ an’ I miss him Han, ‘s not the same.”

There was a long moment of silence, filled only with Jesse's quiet sniffling as he did his best not to start full on crying, before Hanzo gently began to stroke his hair. It was such a simple action but it was enough to start to calm him, until the fluttery feeling of panic began to fade from his chest. The Shimada began speaking quietly as he leaned his head against his shoulder. “Believe me, I know exactly what you are talking about. There is always hope for redemption, McCree, even in the darkest of souls. Now, it is getting cold and Doctor Ziegler will also have my head if you get hypothermia on top of your previous injuries.”

“Yer so smart Han,” Jesse slurred, attempting to stand and grabbing onto the rock for support. “‘M sorry for cryin’ on ya. Dunno wha’ came over me.”

Hanzo smiled and put an arm around his back, gently leading the cowboy back into the base. “It is fine, McCree. Now come on, you need rest.”

\---

Gabriel had learned that the way to survive in Talon was to bury every feeling, every opinion deep down and to put up a front. He took on a persona, a character, and hid everything that had once been a part of Gabriel Reyes behind the emotionless mask of the Reaper. He was feared throughout the world, he was the nightmare parents would warn their children about. Dozens of bodies were scattered in his wake as he followed the tracks of the Overwatch agents he had once worked with. He was a formidable fighter, he always had been even without the freaky new abilities he had gained after the Swiss explosion. He had a reputation of being one of the most ruthless mercenaries in the world.

And he was being totally humiliated by a small purple hacker.

“I can’t believe you got stopped by a _vaquero_!” Sombra was leaning over in her seat, laughing loudly. “You were all like ‘arghh fuck you Morrison’ and McCree was like ‘howdy’ and then you were like ‘noooo’ and then that Helix girl was all ‘justice rains from above!’ And you had to make a _tactical retreat_. Ah! I can’t _wait_ to tell Akande aaaall about how you didn’t kill Morrison again!”

“Sombra, _ferme-la s'il te plaît_.” Widowmaker was lying across the seats, one arm draped over her eyes. She got migraines after missions on a regular basis, caused by the tracking system of her scopes, and usually spent most of the ride home in the darkest corner of the jet, snapping at anyone who dared make a sound louder than a whisper. The fact that she actually added a ‘please’ when addressing Sombra was new and the hacker looked surprised.

**(There was something going on between them but he wasn’t going to risk his life to ask)**

Gabriel sighed and absently fiddled with his mask. There was a dent in it that was uncomfortably pressing into his forehead from Jesse’s ridiculous gun. He couldn’t believe he still used that six shooter in the field.

He couldn’t believe he’d shot the boy.

It had been one of those missions where the Reaper had completely taken over. Gabriel’s mind went blank for a second before it was filled with white hot rage. He didn’t know what happened, or how long he had been out, until he managed to claw back control just in time to see Fareeha, the little girl he used to sneak sweets to after a game of soccer, rising above him and readying her rockets. He had no choice but to retreat in his wraith form, something he hated to do. It _hurt,_ to dissolve his body into smoke and reform seconds later, but not as much as a rocket to the head probably would.

The Reaper didn’t share the same sentiments as Gabriel. It had shot Jesse without any hesitation. When he came back, he saw the gunslinger’s crumpled form on the ground, Ana crouching over him, and it took everything he had not to run to his side. He had practically raised the boy, he had been a scrawny wannabe arms dealing teenager when he took him out of Deadlock. The gang had him, and most of the other young ones, hooked on cocaine. It had been Gabriel who got the boy through withdrawal, who held him down as he screamed after a nightmare, who trained his already uncanny aim into something lethal. He loved him like a son and it broke his heart to know it was him who did this.

A hand on his shoulder startled Gabriel out of his spiralling thoughts. Sombra had moved beside him, her purple coat abandoned, and was watching him, concerned. “Hey Gabi,” she said, head tilted. “You’re shaking, _vato_. Everything okay?”

“I…” He cleared his throat and took off his mask, rubbing at his jaw. “Don’t worry _niñita_ , I’m fine. It’s fine.”

Judging from her frown, his answer didn’t satisfy Sombra. “Was I pushing you too much again? I can be a _puta_ sometimes, I know that.” She bumped her shoulder against his, trying to make him smile. “Not as much as _araña_ over there though.”

“I can speak Spanish, _chienne,_ ” came the half hearted sneer from Widow’s huddle in the corner, which could have been mistaken for a sleeping person if it wasn’t for the fact that she raised her hand to flip the bird at them.

Gabriel huffed a laugh, mostly just to pacify Sombra, and leaned back in his chair. “It’s been a long day, _hija_. I don’t want to have to give a report into that _cabrón_ Akande today, feel more like going to bed.”

**(It wasn’t a lie. He was old and tired, he had to be given a break some day rather than have to face Akande after another failed mission)**

The girl was quiet for a moment, almost a record for her, before she sighed and began to pat his shoulder. “You’re torn up over your _novio_ , aren’t you? That Jack Morrison, he was pretty in his younger days.”

“Sombra, I do not have _boy problems-”_

“You just need _casamentera_ Sombra to sort it all out.” She was grinning again and goddammit it was infectious as he soon felt himself smiling. Obviously triumphant at this, the hacker’s grin widened. “How about I set you up on a, uh, _blind_ date? Or is it not boy problems, more like _problemas familiares_? You did shoot your _mijo_ , the cowboy, right?”

At that, Gabriel flinched, his smile instantly fading. “I didn’t,” he said, so quietly only Sombra could hear him, judging from the confused sound she made, “ _It_ did. I would never hurt that boy, I wouldn’t want to.”

“ _Mierda._ Hey Gabi, hey.” Sombra moved closer to him, looking unsure. “Your bad guy _fachada_ will suffer. Ay, I’m sorry, I went too far again.” She leaned against him, trying to ground him as his thoughts started spiralling out of his control. He watched as the ends of his fingers and legs began to transform into smoke, sending sharp jolts of pain through his body as he struggled to find his breath. Sombra swore again. “Okay, okay, you’re having a moment,” she muttered, half to herself, “Breathe, Gabe, _respirar,_ it’s just me and grumpy _viuda_ over there. We’re on the jet and it’s kind of cold and we’re about ten minutes away from landing. You’re not the Reaper right now, yeah? Want me to hack into Gibraltar again and check on your _mijo_?”

Gabriel shut his eyes tightly, focusing on Sombra’s words. It had been so long since he’d had a panic attack he couldn’t even remember the last one. Decades of service from the Army, the strike team, Blackwatch and now Talon had left his brain a mess. Jack didn’t seem as bad, the effect on him was more physical. As he started to slow his breathing back down, he reached under his uniform for his dog tags, absently running his fingers over the raised letters. He cleared his throat. “I’m fine Sombra. But maybe you should just pay a visit to Gibraltar, _por favor_?”

“I got it Gabi.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> TRANSLATIONS (as always, correct me if I got something wrong!)  
> habibi- Arabic, 'baby'  
> ahmaq alsabii- Arabic, 'idiot boy'  
> muñeca- Spanish, 'doll'  
> mijo- Spanish, 'son'  
> pendejos- Spanish, 'assholes'  
> vaquero- Spanish, 'cowboy'  
> ferme-la s'il te plaît- French, 'shut up please'  
> vato- Spanish, 'dude'  
> niñita- Spanish, 'little girl'  
> puta- Spanish, 'bitch'  
> araña- Spanish, 'spider'  
> chienne- French, 'bitch'  
> hija- Spanish, 'daughter'  
> cabrón- Spanish, 'asshole'  
> novio- Spanish, 'boyfriend'  
> casamentera- Spanish, 'matchmaker'  
> problemas familiares- Spanish, 'family problems'  
> mierda- Spanish, 'shit'  
> fachada- Spanish, 'facade'  
> respirar- Spanish, 'breathe'  
> viuda- Spanish, 'widowmaker'  
> por favor- Spanish, 'please'
> 
> Why McCree, you're getting awfully close to that Hanzo fella aren't you...  
> I'M BACK! School has been an actual bitch but I have been writing! It's just that I've been writing approximately six different things at the same time and I really wanted to get this chapter out at some point. I do have an idea for another reunion but idk when that will come out.  
> Also, man I feel bad for Gabe. He's been through a lot. But I have a conspiracy okay, I don't think he's really actively working for Talon because every mission he does with them fucking fails. This is a tactical genius guys, the man who single handedly organised a strike team to take down whole Omniums. This is a guy who doesn't fail unless it's on purpose. This may pop up in future fics but who knows it's late and I'm very tired as I'm writing this.


	6. Six

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> It's been a month since Amélie Lacroix went missing. Finally Overwatch have a lead

Gabriel loved leading Blackwatch far more than he had ever enjoyed running Overwatch during the Omnic Crisis years. Diplomacy was never his thing and, despite the apparent public theories, he was much happier to let Jack take over as their strike team of six was transformed into an international peace keeping organisation. It was obvious that the other man was better at actually interacting with people, particularly with the politicians who had never seen eye to eye with Gabriel over his tactics, which were works of near genius. 

The unfortunate downside of running a covert ops organisation was that the public tended to wonder where Gabriel was. Personally, he thought it was hilarious to watch the conspiracies grow, especially when Jesse would comment with outrageous theories that some people would actually take seriously. Jack, on the other hand, constantly tried to get him to go on some missions dressed in the Overwatch blues but he rarely had any luck. One of the few times he had reluctantly agreed had been the Deadlock bust and, as much as he hated to admit it, it had been a damn good thing that he had been on that mission. He dreaded to think what could have happened to McCree if he hadn’t found him.

Today was another of those few times.

“I hate this coat,” Gabriel grumbled, picking at the heavy blue garment, resulting in a snort from Jack at his side. It was early in the morning, before there was any sign of the sun, and they were in a cramped jet with a dozen other Overwatch and Blackwatch agents, the latter of whom also looked uncomfortable in the blue uniform. Black was just so much better.

“You really should at least design new uniforms.” Jack stretched out his legs, wincing at the cracking sound of his bones, and nudged his husband. “It’s been too long since we last went on a mission together. Remember the last time, in Barcelona?”

**(Ah yes, the Barcelona “mission” that absolutely wasn’t an excuse for them to get a long overdue honeymoon while investigating a terrorist cell)**

Gabriel snorted, quickly trying to mask it as a cough as a few agents turned to look at them. “This is a _serious_ mission, Morrison. I would expect more maturity from the Strike Commander.”

“ _There should be more maturity from both of you._ ” Ana’s disapproving voice came through their comms but Gabriel knew her well enough to be able to hear her smiling. “ _There’s a very stressed Frenchman sitting beside me cursing your names to high heaven.”_

Jack sighed, running his hands through his greying hair. “My apologies, Gérard. How far are we from landing?” His tone changed entirely, becoming more diplomatic at the drop of a hat. He was in full Strike Commander mode, a completely different persona to the lovable idiot of a man Gabriel was married to. 

There was a long, shaky sigh from the other end of the comms. “ _ETA_ deux _minutes. We will be going dark when you land, so you have my information on the base,_ oui _?_ ” Gérard had wanted so badly to be sent on this mission but Gabriel refused. The two men had become friends over the years but with Blackwatch running the majority of this mission he was currently his commanding officer. There was no way he was sending the man who was almost definitely at the top of Talon’s list of people to assassinate into one of their bases, even if it was his wife who they were looking for. After Amélie’s kidnapping, Gabriel had made one of his rare public appearances alongside Jack and Ana to ask the world for any information. Privately he thought it was pointless, especially when they knew Talon had her, but Gérard was a mess. The man needed all the support he could get.

**(If anything ever happened to Jack, Gabriel would tear the world to pieces to get him back)**

Jack nodded, clearing his throat, immediately commanding all agents’ attention. “We copy, Agent Lacroix. Overwatch! Prepare for landing.”

 

Talon bases were usually hidden in plain sight. Many companies had set up scientific research laboratories towards the end of the Omnic Crisis and according to Gérard’s information a few of them in select places around the world had been partially infiltrated by Talon. They believed that Amélie was being kept in an institute a few miles outside of Strasbourg. Normally, these bases were hives of activity, buzzing with both civilian scientists and the more dubious Talon agents, making it difficult to raid them.

The Strasbourg base was practically dead. As the Overwatch agents split up andmade their way through the long dark hallways, Gabriel just couldn’t shake the feeling that something just wasn’t quite right. It was completely empty and the sounds of the agents’ boots echoed eerily through the building. He could hear his agents shouting to each other, trying to figure out if there was anyone around but it was looking increasingly unlikely. The little voice in the back of his mind was reminding him of everything he had ever learned about traps. This had all the makings of one and they had sent the Commanders of both Overwatch and Blackwatch right into it.

“I don’t like this, Jackie,” Gabriel hissed through their private line. “It’s too… quiet…” He trailed off, coming to a stop in front of a closed door. There was a faint blue light coming through the doorway and a soft whirring noise. It was only the slightest anomaly in a corridor of identical doors, probably something that only him or Jack with their SEP heightened senses would be able to notice. But it was a small sign of life in an otherwise dead base and that had to mean something.If Jack planned to answer him, he didn’t hear as he reached up to switch off the comms. He’d apologise later but he couldn’t risk anything listening into their conversation. Slowly, as carefully as possible, he opened the door. The source of the blue light was immediately revealed to be several computer screens. Sitting in front of them, slumped over the desks, were the five dead bodies of what looked to be civilian scientists.

Gabriel walked into the room, closing the door as quietly as he could. Judging from the smell in the room, these bodies had been here a while. “ _Madre de Dios,”_ he murmured, making his way over to the computers.The scientists all had a single bullet wound to the back of their heads, sniper style. But there was no windows in the room, no way a sniper could have killed them all in this position. Their bodies must have been moved. He began to inspect the computers, every instinct telling him that this had to be a trap, it was too quiet. Each screen was blue and flickering, creating the all too familiar buzzing sound of a computer broken beyond repair.

**(He had destroyed several of his laptops in the past. As a teenager he once overworked the poor thing by filling it with episodes of some ancient sitcom his dad had loved as a kid)**

The feeling of unease spread up Gabriel’s spine as he searched the room. Everything was too clean, too pristine. There was barely a speck of dust anywhere. If whoever had set this up was trying to dissuade suspicion they were failing miserably. Everything about the room screamed suspicious. Particularly, he found as he ran a hand along the wall, the long vertical crack running from floor to ceiling. He could see white light coming through a centimetre wide gap from the other side, but no visible way to get through. “Fuck it.” Throwing caution to the wind, Gabriel kicked at the wall as hard as he could, smirking at the satisfying crunch sound as his reinforced boot made contact with plaster.

After about seven blows to the wall, the plaster began to crumble away, creating a hole large enough for him to fit his hands through. He pulled at the wall, unsurprised as it suddenly slid away, revealing a white laboratory. The lights were dim and the room was just as empty as the rest of the base appeared to be. Whoever had been here had left in a hurry, judging by the overturned chairs and half opened cabinets. Everything had been taken, except for one last thing. At the back of the room, behind white bars, was the woman curled up on the ground, facing away from him.

“Amélie?” Still wary of a trap, Gabriel kept his voice low as he made his way towards the cell. There was no response. Beside the cell was a panel, obviously the locking mechanism. By this point in the mission, he was just frustrated with everything going on. Again, he muttered, “fuck it,” and took one of his shotguns out of its holster, slamming the barrel into the panel. 

**(If it was a trap, at least he had a shotgun in hand)**

There was a brief crackle of electricity before the cell slid open with a loud creaking of metal, enough to wake up the occupant. Amélie quickly sat up with a loud gasp, running her hands through her hair. “ _Je t’en prie, non. Pas plus, pas plus!_ ” Her breathing was rapid and bordering on hysterical as she pushed herself back against the wall. She stared at him with wide, terrified eyes for a few moments before she seemed to recognise him. “Gabe? _Mon dieu,_ is it really you?”

“It’s me. Surprise!” Gabriel smiled, trying to keep the woman calm, as he walked over to her and crouched in front of her. It had been a month since her kidnapping and it showed. There were deep bags under her eyes and her face looked thin, drawn. Her hair, usually styled in an immaculate ballerina bun, hung limp and greasy around her shoulders. There were faded bruises on her face and neck but those were all he could see, he imagined there was much more under the simple, unsettlingly spotless, hospital-like gown she was wearing. He held out one hand to her. “Your rescuers await, my lady.”

Amélie took the hand and slowly pulled herself to her feet, shrugging off his arm as he tried to help. In all the time Gabriel had known the Frenchwoman, she had never accepted any assistance from anyone. She was an independent force to be reckoned with who was unafraid to use her aristocratic title to get her own way, mostly when she was trying to get Overwatch to grant Gérard more time off. But as she began to take a step forward she tumbled to the floor with a pained cry, her hand gripping tightly to Gabriel’s. “ _Merde_. I’m fine Gabe, I’m fine.” Waving her hand she pulled herself back up, flashing him a tight smile. “Where is my husband?”

“Back at the base,” he replied, carefully putting his arm around her waist to keep her upright. Ignoring her annoyed grunt, he reached up to his comms and switched it back on. “I’ve got her, heading back to the jet now.”

There was a long, shaky sigh from the other end of the comms before Jack replied. _“Understood Commander Reyes. Wheels up in five.”_

**(He was pissed. Maybe he shouldn’t have switched off his comms)**

 

Amélie was rushed into medical as soon as the jet landed, a team of doctors pulling the complaining woman away before she got the chance to reunite with Gérard. Gabriel had loudly disagreed with that decision but a look from an already annoyed Jack shut him up. The Strike Commander hurried off when they landed, presumably to call a press conference, leaving him to follow the medical team, smirking at Amélie’s insisting that she was fine and demanding to see her husband. 

He was leaning against the wall outside the examination room when Gérard came running down the corridor. He was breathless, his eyes fearful despite the smile on his face. He came to a skidding halt in front of him. “Commander Reyes. Is she alright?”

“She was complaining and asking to see you from the moment she got off the jet,” Gabriel replied, smiling. “So I’d say she’s fine.” 

Gérard laughed, something he hadn’t done in weeks. It was almost as if all the stress of the past month washed away in the simple action. “ _Dieu merci_ , that sounds like Am-What is _she_ doing here?” His expression dropped instantly as his eyes narrowed at the tall, red haired woman emerging from the medical wing. “I do not want her anywhere near my wife.”

With a sigh, Gabriel stepped between them, too used to defending her from other people. “Doctor O’Deorain is our best geneticist and we want to know if Talon has altered her in any way.” He wasn’t by any stretch of the imagination the biggest fan of Moira but Overwatch had been interested in her research. After the disaster following her last paper there was no way they could publicly recruit her so she came to Blackwatch, something he privately disagreed with. He was doing his best to keep her away from Genji. He turned to her, arms crossed. “How is she?”

“ _Tá creidimh beag agat_. It’s always a pleasure Agent Lacroix,” Moira sneered, causing the man to stiffen again, before looking to Gabriel. “She’s grand, Commander. No changes to her cellular structure. You can probably go and see her now, the _good doctor_ is just treating her for some shock and broken ribs.”

**(Moira and Angela did not get on. That had been another one of the reasons why the former had been recruited by Blackwatch, there was no way the two women would ever work together in the way Overwatch had hoped)**

Gérard had already pushed his way past the Irishwoman before she had even finished speaking. Gabriel watched as he rushed to his wife, clearly ignoring the protests from Angela. “Amélie!” He sat up on her bed, taking her face in his hands as if he could somehow find something the doctors hadn’t. “ _Mon cygne,_ thank God you’re okay.”

“ _Mon canard,_ ” Amélie laughed, putting her hands over his. “ _Je vais bien_ , I’m fine. Especially now I have seen you.” She was smiling genuinely, very different to the carefully structured stage smile she usually wore, as she leaned up to kiss her husband. Gabriel almost felt like he was intruding on a very private moment so he turned away and headed towards Jack’s office. He needed to make it up to him for disappearing like that.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> TRANSLATIONS  
> Deux- French, 'two'  
> Oui?- French, 'yes?'  
> Madre de Dios- Spanish, 'mother of God'  
> Je t’en prie, non- French, 'please no'  
> Pas plus, pas plus- French, 'no more, no more'  
> Mon dieu- French, 'my God'  
> Merde- French, 'shit'  
> Dieu merci- French, 'thank God'  
> Tá creidimh beag agat- Irish, 'you have little faith'  
> Mon cygne- French, 'my swan' (because she's such a graceful dancer)  
> Mon canard- French, 'my duck' (because the man cannot dance to save his life)  
> Je vais bien- French, 'I'm fine'
> 
> This originally was going to include Gabe reuniting with Amélie again after she becomes Widowmaker but this got long and I didn't know how to make the second part as long. Maybe I'll write it later.  
> Sorry I haven't updated lately! I've been busy writing a LOT of D&D things for my sweet oc. But I do have more Overwatch things in the works that aren't ready to be uploaded.  
> Anyway, M O I R A!! As an Irishwoman myself, I am fucking DELIGHTED to have an Irish hero. Especially one who actually speaks the language! I love her so much even if she is questionable and definitely hurt my boy Gabe. I definitely think she was working with Talon long before the fall of Overwatch and it's practically confirmed she was responsible for Widowmaker. She's lying through her teeth here, there's obviously something up with Amélie. Especially as two weeks later, her husband winds up dead and she goes missing. I'm definitely going to write more about Widow and her origins, particularly because I absolutely love Gérard.

**Author's Note:**

> I'm [on tumblr](http://picturefirelizards.tumblr.com/)!


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